1/24/1988
Newspaper clipping from The Seattle Times (front page) Suspect Found in Series of Bizarre Small-Town Murders According to Local Police Blackwater, Washington // Sunday, January 24, 1988 // Story by Karen McKnight Late Thursday night on January 21st, a potential third victim in the brutal deaths in the town of Blackwater, Washington was attacked by a figure while returning home from an evening meal. The victim was Reagan Meyers, age 26, is a prominent member of the Seattle City Council. She states that she was walking home with her boyfriend, Brent Cooley, age 27, when she was grabbed by something that came out of the nearby woods. "What came next was sort of a blur, but I remember being taken to what looked like a cave? Things were fairly hazy, but I do remember being rescued by a young African-American woman. There were some other people with her, but I don't remember much about them," Ms. Meyers said. "I just reacted," Mr. Cooley says, "I ran back to the Diner we had just came from to get help and a few people rushed out while I contacted the police with the help of the owner. I don't really remember much beyond that, it still feels so unreal." "I'm just glad Ms. Meyers is okay," said Ada Harding. Ms. Harding is the owner of The Peyote Diner, a small restaurant on the north side of Blackwater where Ms. Meyers and Mr. Cooley had been dining before the attack. "I saw a few people rush out the door to help, but I don't remember them very well. There was a young lady in a suit looking very professional, another young lady who was here with and older gentleman. I think it was Mr. Forsythe and his granddaughter, but I might be mistaken. Oh, there was also a sort of rough and tired looking guy in a military jacket. He had been here a while, looked like he was doing some work of some sort, it was hard to tell and I try not to be too much into people's private affairs. Oh and there was another guy with him, sort of homeless looking. Maybe he was a vagrant or vagabond, I don't know. Anyways, the four of them jumped up when Mr. Cooley came in here shouting about Ms. Meyers being attacked and rushed out the door. I saw them come back with Ms. Meyers and speak with the police, but I haven't really seen them since." When asked if she remembered anything about her assailant specifically, Ms. Meyers said that she doesn't remember anything other than it was a large man. A source within the Blackwater Sheriff's Department advised that they currently had a suspect in custody and had strong evidence to suggest that the suspect were the perpetrator, however they could not comment any further since the investigation was ongoing. When asked if they had any witnesses to Ms. Meyer's attack, the source gave no comment. Any attempts to locate Ms. Meyers' saviors thus far have been fruitless however. I have tried contacting Mr. Forsythe, but have received no response thus far. Granted, there is not much other information to go on, but hopefully someone involved will come forward to shed some light on the situation, or at the very least, be recognized for their efforts in rescuing a prominent political figure. I will continue to investigate this mystery for the foreseeable future.